Counter-carrier for voting-machines.



No. 873,401. R PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

Q 0. 0. ABBOTT.

5-: E 5 5 I 2 r q 5 H 5: 5 l I I v i 5L: ww' fw IIHIIIII INVENTOR A TTOHNEY from the top of CHARLES c. ABBOTT, or PITTS'FIELD,

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO TRIUMPH VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 01 NEW JERSEY.

COUNTER-CARRIER FOR VOTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.,

Application filed May 20. 1907. Serial N0- 374.6:13.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. ABBOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittslield, county of Berkshire, State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Counter-Carrier for Voting-Maehines, of which the following is'a specification.

This invention has for its object to pro vide a sirnple and inexpensive carrier for the counters of voting machines, which is adapted to be made entirely from sheet metal, thereby materially reducing the weight of the machine and cll'ecting an important saving in the cost of the parts and in the ex ense of fitting.

Wit 1 this end in view I have devised the simple and novel structure which I will now describe referrin to the accom an in Y specification to mdlcate Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my novel carrier complete; Fig. 2 a plan view corresponding therewith; Fig. 3 a .section on the line 3-3 in Figs. 1 and 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 4 is a detail elevation 'on an enlarged scale, illustrating the mode of attachment of the counters to the carrying bars.

In the resent instance I have illustrated fbra horizontal machine, although it will, of course, be obvious that the principle of the invention. is equally applicable to a vertical machine.

10' denotes the carrying bars which are formed from strips of sheet metal preferably, although not necessarily, bent to substantiall the form illustrated in the drawing. Eac I carrying bar comprises a vertical portion indicated by a, .a horizontal portion indicated by b, a flange indicated by c which depends from the horizontal portion and a horizontal flange d which projectsrearward the vertical portion. 11 denotes a counter (see Fig. 4). The counters rest upon the horizontal portion and are rigidly secured in any suitable manner to the vertical portion ofthe bars as by screws 12. In practice the carrying bars may be formed from relatively light metal, ample strength and rigidity being secured by the The depending flange c is utilized in the identification of the counters by placing flanges. I

- thereon in alinement with each counter an identification mark,indieated by 13, which enables the tabulators of votes to identify the individual counters at a glance; for example, B35, the letters indicating the lines of counters from top to bottom and the numbers the nuinber of each counter in horizontal alinement counting fronrright to left as seen from the rear. The ends of the carrying bars are rigidly secured to end strips 14 which are formed from sheet metal bent to substantially Ushape. A part of the horizontal portion and depending flange of each carrying bar is cut away at each-end,

leaving recesses indicated by 20 (see Fig. 1'

in connection with Fig. 3), which receive the end strips. The edges of the horizontal flanges and of the remaining portion of the horizontal portions bear upon the face of the end strips, thus leaving Ushaped portions at the ends of each carrying bar for attaching portions, said U-shaped portions being indicated by 21 (see Fig. 3).

I have shown the carrying bars as'secured to the end strips by means of bolts 15 which pass through the faces of the bars so that when the nuts 22 on the bolt'sare tightened upfi theengaging edges of the carrying bars W1 end'strips, which are seated in the recesses, the attachment of the parts being thus made secure and the carrier as a whole made perfectly rigid. close eccentrics 17 carried by eccentric shafts 18.. The bearings are shown as provided" with attaching plates 19 which are rigidly bolted to end strips 14.

As the counting operation and the mode of imparting motion to the eccentric shafts form no portion of the present invention, they have not been illustrated and will not be described. It is sufficient for the urposes of this specification to state that t e countors are all rigidly secured to the carrier and move with it, and that the counting opera tion of all counters that have been connected to a voting member is effected through movement of the carrier, which is an endwlse lateral oscillation in the horizontal plane, to

perform the counting operation, and then a return oscillation to the normal position after the voting mechanism.

16 denotes bearings which inthe counters have been disconnected from Having thus described my invention, I claim: a

1. A counter. carrier consisting of a plurality of bars formed from sheet metal, each bar comprising a Vertical (portion, a horizontal portion, a flange depen ing from the horizontalportion and a horlzontal flange, and end strips to which thebars are attached.

2. A- counter car rier consisting of a plurality of bars formed from sheet metal, each bar comprising a Vertical portion, a horizontal port1on, a horizontal flange and a flange depending'from the horizontal portion and provided with identification marks, and end strips to Which the bars are attached.

3. A counter carrier consisting of a plurality of bars formed from sheet metal, each bar eomprismga vertical (portion, a horizontal portion, a flange depen ng from the horizontal portion and a horizontal flange, and U- shaped end strips also formed from sheet metal to which the bars are attached'and which are provided with bearings, for the purpose set forth. 4. A counter carrier conslstlng of a plurality of bars each comprising a vertical pora vertical portion, a

tion, a horizontal portion, a flange depending from the horizontal portion and a horizontal flange, a part of the horizontal portion and depending flange being cut away at each end of the bars leaving recesses, U-shaped end strips engaging said recesses, the edges of the horlzontal flange and the remaining portion of the horizontal portion engaging the faces of the end strips, and bolts passing through the faces of, the bars and the end strips whereby the parts are secured together.

5. The combination with a bar comprising horizontal port-ion. a and a' flange depending 

